ARLINGTON — Baseball often makes no sense, which is what makes it so intriguing. It’s the only American professional sport without a salary cap, yet it is not dominated by the big-spending teams.

In 2009, the New York Yankees had the highest payroll and won the World Series. In the seven years that followed, World Series champs sported payrolls that ranked No. 10, 11, 8, 4, 7, 16 and 14, respectively.

Money does not buy titles. And sometimes, when teams think they have no shot, they do.

In 2015, the Texas Rangers lost ace Yu Darvish for the entire season after he injured his right elbow and underwent Tommy John surgery. Then No. 2 pitcher Derek Holland suffered a shoulder injury that sidelined him four months.

No problem. They won the American League West with an 88-74 record.

Last year, they were even better, winning 95 games and a second consecutive division title. They lost to theBlue Jays in the ALDS both years, but they were at least in position to compete for a championship.

They were also one of the greatest clutch teams in major-league history last year. Almost 30 percent of their games were decided by one run, and in those games, the Rangers went 36-11. Their .765 winning percentage in one-run games was the best in baseball’s modern era.

When the trade deadline arrived in 2016, the Rangers were all in, dealing for catcher Jonathan Lucroy and even sending some of their best young players to the Yankees for Carlos Beltran, who was 39 at the time.

When a team wins 95 games, one might assume it’s a solid foundation for years to come. But not necessarily in baseball, where you often win when you’re supposed to lose and lose when you’re supposed to win.

After 104 games last year, the Rangers were 60-44 with a four-game lead in the AL West. At the same point this year, they were 50-54 and 18 games behind division leader Houston.

Although they were only three games behind in the wild-card race, eight teams were within 5½ games of the last wild-card spot, and except for a 10-game winning streak in early May, the Rangers had not played well.

Even that streak was tainted because the opponents were Detroit, Philadelphia, San Diego and Oakland. At the trade deadline, those four teams were a combined 59 games below .500.

And their one-run magic had disappeared. At the trade deadline, the Rangers were only 10-16 in those games.

So one year after buying big, the Rangers became the biggest sellers and sent Darvish to the Los Angeles Dodgers for three prospects — outfielder/second baseman Willie Calhoun, pitcher A.J. Alexy and infielder Brendon Davis — to restock the farm system they had plundered a year earlier.

They also traded Lucroy to Colorado and pitcher Jeremy Jeffress to Milwaukee. Darvish, however, was the blockbuster — but because of his impending free agency, not a surprise.

Darvish is an immensely talented pitcher, but he is just 53-39 (.576) in his career. Since 2012, Darvish’s rookie season, 49 pitchers have better winning percentages.

Darvish also will be 31 in August and is expected to seek a contract similar to the seven-year, $175 million deal signed by Washington pitcher Stephen Strasburg, who is two years younger. Darvish would be 37 in the last year of the deal.

Texas general manager Jon Daniels said the three prospects — Calhoun (67 RBIs in 99 games in Triple-A), Alexy and Davis — will replenish the Rangers’ upper farm system.

“We’re strong at the lower levels,” Daniels said. “Our upper levels, we certainly have some players, but not where we want to be and where we will be very quickly.”

But Daniels also said trading Darvish did not mean the Rangers were giving up on the season. If it were another sport, such a contention would be laughable. But all the Rangers have to do is look at 2015 when they lost their two best pitchers for all or most of the season and still won the division.

“We’ve won before when Yu was hurt or when other guys weren’t here,” Daniels said. “Is it more challenging? Absolutely. That was something we ... had to factor in. But I think we’re going to put a quality product out there, and these guys are going to keep fighting and stay in this thing.”

Daniels was 28 when he became the youngest GM in baseball in 2005. The Rangers had been in Texas for 33 years and had made the playoffs just three times.

In Daniels’ 11 years, the Rangers have been in the playoffs five times. And when it was clear they were capable of being in a pennant race, Daniels was a buyer at the trade deadline.

He said that because of the inconsistency of the club this season, the Rangers were in the middle — capable of contending if they played like they have the past two years but showing few signs they would.

“I hope our track record speaks for itself on some level,” Daniels said. “Any time that we’re (contending), we’ve never stopped and not taken a swing at things. We always want to support the club then go for it.

“Moving Yu doesn’t preclude us from making a run. ... But we felt it was the right thing to do for this organization.”